A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
